The Shadowbender
by The Canis Latrans
Summary: When a young man signs a contract to save his lovers life, he is transported to his own living hell. Will he ever escape? Perhaps with the people he meets along the way? Or will this hellish wasteland full of mystery be his tomb.
1. Chapter 1

Canis paced back and forth across the dimly lit room. His contemplations were endless and he enthralled his mind with every possible scenario and outcome. The faint glow emanating from the young man's computer eagerly awaited the audible "ding" that was broadcasted should a message be sent through the open chat room. It was nerve-racking; the poor soul's lover had been rushed to the hospital just a few soul-destroying hours ago.

It had been a relatively calm morning that soon-to-be dreary day, Canis and her where enjoying each other's company underneath a lovely weeping willow resting gracefully just outside a geese-frequented pond. Her head rested gently upon his sturdy shoulder as they gazed with magic in their eyes, for the sunrise was something that should always be met with the upmost enthusiasm. It was a truly romanticized situation, one in which Canis had been awaiting for the longest of time. This was because that despite being deeply in love and constantly being with one another, they have yet to share but a single passionate kiss. The love-struck lad saw his opportunity as the majestic far-off sun finished its ascension into the clear blue skies; it seemed too good to be true! Alas, it was.

All he could do now was think, he can't be in the operating room with her, he cannot watch. All he could do was go home and await news. No one really understand what the problem was, Canis surely did not. It all happened so fast, it was difficult to process. He did not know if she would be ok, he did not know if he would ever see the beauty in her deep blue eyes once more, or if they would be but lifeless and grey. He could not determine whether or not her gentle heart would still be beating should be rest his head upon her. His lovers fate remained shrouded in the misty vale of confusion that weighed heavily on the hospital staff. No one knew, no one could comprehend, it was inconceivable. How could such a healthy and symptomless individual come under such an aliment so fast? Should the CDC be alerted? Should there be quarantine? There was no disease, no virus and no bacteria. She was just…dying.

After the threat was cleared and it was obvious her condition was not well and had no chance of improving, her family as well as the grief-stricken boy where summoned to witness her final moments. Her sisters and parents rushed down the hall and into the bright white room, sobbing as the saddened sun began to rest gently on the ends of the sky. Canis himself did not enter, he couldn't bring himself too. Had it been his fault? She had been with him all morning. Could he have done something different? The possibilities seemed endless and the poor soul was overwhelmed to the point of collapsing into the nearest char situated in the farthest corner of the waiting room. The area was eerily empty, void of all inhabitants, the only detectable sound being the weeping of a broken-hearted family. Canis did not even hear the footsteps that generated the sound of fine leather hitting the cold marble floor; he did not notice the man in a fine black suit walk up to him. The tall man moved his gelled hair back and stood tall as if preparing a speech or a business proposition, Canis did not notice any of this and he did not even know the man was there, until he spoke. "Say pal, you don't look so good" The young man wiped his tears away as he heard the obvious words; he attempted to straighten up only to end up in a saddened slouch. "May I sit down?" The tall male's voice sounded more like a command than a request. Either way, Canis obliged. "Thanks' it's been too long since I sat in a comfortable chair". Canis adjusted his position in his chair; he wondered what kind of seating accommodations this gentleman had, for these stiff hospital chairs where anything but comfortable. "You shouldn't feel guilty you know. There was nothing you could have done". These words hit the lad hard, how did this stranger know of what had happened? Was he a family member Canis had not met? An uncle perhaps? "You can still save her you know, if you do something for me". This proposal debunked nearly every theory he had come up with, how did this person know what had happened? More importantly, how can he do something the doctors cannot? "Sign this, and we can get to work" While Canis had been trying to decipher what was even going on, the man had pulled out a strange contract written out on a sheet of parchment. The seal on the top was a rather strange looking door that seemed to depict a human face, The contract itself was written in the blackest "ink" that could be read only by those who knew the ancient language of Latin. Canis, having taken Latin as his hobby, began to decipher the suspicious document. "Oh, I assure you it is nothing criminal. It is simply a formality that must _not_ be ignored in my line of work". Canis drew his attention to the bottom half of the page instead, he gazed at the unnervingly strait line that declared ones name be written in their own blood. Any sane person would have gotten up and left, any intelligent person would have alerted the proper authorities. But the Greif-stricken soul was desperate, if this man surely was the devil, then he could most likely mend the ailments that plague his beloved. He was smart enough to understand that signing this document would not end well for him, but all he cared about was saving her. He would not fail, and he would do what he had too.

Withdrawing his Swiss army knife from within his vest pocket, the determined young man slit a small incision across the top of his palm. He did not even need to scrawl out his name on the cursed page, for as the droplets hit, his world was consumed by shadow and two long spiked hands circled him like sharks as they closed into on him. Having realized the gravity of what he had done, Canis attempted to flee toward the hallway, only to be stopped by one of the (what he thought were) slow moving hands. The other came up from behind him, and as he attempted to dart to the side he was seized forcefully by both of the figures. They forcefully and determinedly dragged him down into what he could only assume was to be his hell.

And he was all too correct.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I think i am going to keep chapters short but post often. The reason behind short chapters is because i become sloppy with my writing if i drag on too long._

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Canis awoke on a freezing soil floor. His vision was hazy and his mind was clouded with the thoughts of what just happened. He wondered if it had all really happened in the first place or if it had just been a product of his own imagination. The tall figure that stood in front of him chased away his doubts. The young man could barely make him out due to the throbbing pain in his mind. But he knew exactly who this individual was. "Say pal, you look even worse than before!" Canis started to rise of slowly, combating the pain that attempted to force him down. "You'd better find something to eat before night falls!" as the young man finally and after great effort managed to stand upright, the tall magician had vanished.

With an audible _POP_ Canis stretched his extremities. The throbbing that had plagued his mind for the past several minutes had begun to fade. With his body and mind in check he began to carefully examine his surroundings. Not much dotted the area, it seems this demon had decided it would be entertaining to leave him stranded in the middle of an empty plain. Canis decided it would be most useful to look for water first; shelter would have to come as a second priority as there was quite literally nothing but short green grass for what seemed like miles on end. Though to be honest the land did seem quite tranquil, it was a sort of peace that he had never experienced before. In fact, barely any human has known such noiseless and empty space. True, many have experienced being in a forest with the feathered fowl signing their tunes and the trees casting their gentle shadow across the podzol. But few have known complete silence, not even the wind made a single sound.

As with most things in life, the silence came to its end. Canis came across a fast running river, its current nearly blinded him as it perfectly reflected the rays of sunlight that shown directly upon it. Despite it breaking the peace that had previously existed, it emanated a comfort of its very own. The gentle roar had a calming effect most often felt in a rocking chair, gentle, yet enough to keep you held in the present. Canis was quite proud of himself at this point, he had found water! While not presently thirsty it would no doubt be of benefit in the immediate future. No longer enthralled in the awe of discovering a beneficial and esthetically appealing resource, Canis noticed that trees started dotting the landscape across the water. They seemed to thicken as the terrain progressed, and at the farthest pointy of his near-perfect vision he could make out a full-fledged forest. While not good at gauging distance, the young explorer assumed it could be no more than a few hours walk, give or take a day. Unsure about whether it was worth traveling at this current time, Canis decided it was best to simply set up camp and worry about the uncertain and most likely hazardous future later. Boldly leaping toward the flattest rock he could spot, Canis landed face first into the freezing river. He struggled against the current, only to be pulled under the water and slammed against a rock with great force. Had it been hours? Days? Canis did not know…his head felt as fuzzy as it did the first time around. Except this time he was soaked and wet, soft sand sticking to his light grey shirt.

"Say Pal, you really aren't doing so good"


	3. Chapter 3

Canis started to get up slowly; it was difficult to even consider moving his legs so he decided to simply sit upright. "I honestly expected better, but I'll keep you around for a while longer" Canis started to regain his vision as the blurriness began to be chased away by the realization that he had been passed out for at least a day. This was proven to be fact due to the sun just starting to rise above the horizon. "Try to be a little more…careful" The king had vanished before Canis could clearly make him out, but it was not like he did not already know who the man was.

Finally regaining feeling in his legs, Canis stood up in a slouch before stretching in an upward motion toward the light blue sky. Observing the surrounding terrain, he realized he did not recognize anything around him. Instead of the open plains he existed in before, he was now in a dark and damp forest. The tall trees stretched at least fifty feet off the ground and had sharp bladed leaves that were the color of a freshly rotted corpse. Canis decided it would be best to stay by the river he had washed out of; however he would have to explore at least a small ways into the forest to at least attempt to acquire sustenance. It was at this time he realized just how famished he was, being out cold for a full day not only left him numb but also sapped what little nutrition he had contained within him. He already had practically fasted whilst his lover was in the hospital, so by all accounts it has been at least 2 and a half days since he last ate.

With the motivation to at least make a meager attempt at survival, Canis marched forward into the woods. The immense shadows created by the trees made it so that no foliage grew underneath them. It was simply nothing but thick Podzol that covered the ground he walked upon. If this young would-be adventurer was to find food, he would have to find some sort of clearing. After about a twenty minute trudge through very un-appealing and rarely-variating forest floor, Canis came across a small group of fallen trees, bright blue mushrooms grew on the edge of them, within the shadows. However the lack of covering allowed a few slivers of sunlight to enter through the overgrown tops of the trees. Because of this small treeless oasis, Canis was able to spot a few bushes that contained bright red berries. However, he wondered if these were safe to consume, after all he did not want to gobble down poisonous berries in his haste to survive. Ohhhh the Tall Man would love that wouldn't he? The sweet irony of dying from a simple attempt to survive.

But before Canis could decide whether or not he had the right to do what he wants, a piercing high-pitched scream echoed from a nearby section of forest. After a quick battle amongst his thoughts attempting to decipher if it was in fact in his best interests to run head-long into a potentially deadly situation Canis rushed toward the source of the noise. It was not a very long jog until he reached the obvious source of the ear-shattering noise; it was there that he saw it.


End file.
